Supreme Court Sides With Russian Citizen on Racketeering Claim

[Polybius]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by JudyM (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: Bloomberg Law

The US Supreme Court ruled for a Russian citizen trying to sue his former business partner under federal racketeering laws.

In a 6-3 decision, the court said the circumstances surrounding Vitaly Smagin’s injury make clear that it arose in the United States.

Smagin sued Ashot Yegiazaryan and Yegiazaryan’s bank CMB Monaco under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Smagin said Yegiazaryan subverted his efforts to collect on the $92 million he was awarded in arbitration proceedings in London.



Read more: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/supreme-court-sides-with-russian-citizen-on-racketeering-claim

[WhiteTara]

1. I think our newly minted motto is

who bought that decision?

[peppertree]

2. So presumably, Argentina could sue Paul Singer for bribing his way to a $2.4 bn heist against them?

Oh, no - that's right: this ruling only applies to Repugs and their friends.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

3. Yes. But supporting capitalists in enslaving nations in debt traps has to include bribing judges.

The western media handwringing over fictional China debt traps on developing nations…aren’t going to point to the bloody hands of their own capitalist friends and owners.

[peppertree]

4. Sad but true.

Very few people have done more to damage U.S. standing abroad than Paul Singer.

The Supreme Court endorsement of Singer's heist in 2014 did more than any single event to promote Chinese yuan swaps among 3rd-world countries - as issuing bonds in New York markets was now no longer legally safe.

By effectively cutting Argentina off from international credit markets (something the country recovered in 2006 after great effort and sacrifice), Singer literally in fact forced Argentina to turn to Chinese swaps for financing.

This need was greatly intensified by foreign debt crisis left by Trump's pal Macri in 2019.

Biden was smart to support a generous refinance of Macri IMF bailout debt - but it's barely enough. Least of all with the extreme drought they're experiencing this year (costing about $20 billion in export revenues this year).

Even the "pro-U.S." Macri had to turn to China for added swaps, on top of becoming a foreign policy liability for Washington (beware right-wing 3rd world figures waving little American flags).

Thanks as always for your insights, Alex. All the Best.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

5. Americans are so uneducated about their own history is the main reason for the mass hypocrisy..

and tunnel vision, sad state of affairs to commence a debate when one side has half the facts.

But the corporate media finds the masses more malleable that way…the Iraq war Lies were a corporate media triumph from which they are still learning how to do more.

[3825-87867]

7. From Will Durant...

"We Americans are the best informed people on earth as to the events of the last twenty-four hours; we are not the best informed as to the events of the last sixty centuries."

[Princess Turandot]

6. They also sided against a Russian citizen, in a 6-3 opinion authored by AJ Sotomayor ...

.. upholding the decision of the Ninth Circuit.

Alito wrote the dissent, in which he was joined by his intellectual bobbsey twin (and Gorsuch).

Amy Howe (SCOTUSblog): This was a case involving two Russian citizens, in which the question was whether a foreign plaintiff whose only injury was to intangible property – such as a court judgment – has suffered the kind of “domestic” injury required to bring a claim under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

The Ninth Circuit ruled that the plaintiff had alleged a domestic injury, and the Supreme Court today upheld that ruling.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

8. Decision little to do with citizenry much to do with law of torts and property.

[Igel]

10. And that's the problem.

"Sided with Russian citizen" yields click-bait.

"Sided against Russian citizen" ... meh, whatever.

But it's the same effing thing.

Nobody cares about the issues involved--which, at that level, are issues of law and not subjective/politicized "justice".

Far too many SCOTUS posts here are the latter and when you look at the former incredibly tedious and boring logic you think, "Wait, I don't like the outcome but I like the case law that's been made based on the logic and reasoning and facts presented."

[Alexander Of Assyria]

11. Boring and tedious and competent...like Biden I guess. It's grand.

Mass media is artificially stupid on the criminal law and human intelligent on how to draw attention and create profitable conflict…it worked for Zuckerberg and Twitters of all kinds!

Any thread is shortened by introduction of boring facts and logic, consider it a duty!

[Wonder Why]

9. Since the quoted article is behind a paywall, I found this site which

[link:https://www.scotusblog.com/2023/04/two-russian-citizens-face-off-at-supreme-court-in-international-racketeering-dispute/|]

seems so explain both sides.

Now other than the fact that I could care less when one multi-millionaire cheats another multi-millionaire, it does seem that SCOTUS made a reasonable decision on this.

Most of the comments seem far off topic IMHO.

[JudyM]

12. Locking

The forum hosts discussed the importance of this and determined that, even though it’s a Supreme Court decision, it is really about jurisdiction, not an important substantive issue. Fine to repost in General Discussion, if you’d like.